A friends company went to an open floor plan a month before they began laying off people. I was probably an attempt to get them to leave on their own, so they wouldn't have to worry about them drawing unemployment benefits.
Our company in a "cost saving measure" removed the paper towels from the restrooms and installed high powered hand air dryers. Ever try to wipe your nose or face with an air dryer?
My friend's office recently moved to an open office layout. They called it the "Office of the Future" and said it would increase productivity. He says he has no desk space now, and any time someone so much as sneezes, the whole office knows who it is. If this is the Office of the Future, count me out. I will happily stay in the past.
The boss is supremely stupid, monumentally clueless, and terminally obtuse. When he gets together with Catbert, he seems to be following some sort of devious master plan. http://tinyurl.com/aw44erz - but he's really just as much of a pawn in the system as everyone else.