Classrooms might feel a bit more like Perez's machine than tidy rows of desks, said Gerald Wheeler, interim executive director of the National Science Teachers Association.

CNN: This 'Mousetrap' can crush a car -- and teach physics

At Morningstar desks are right next to each other, and cube-dwelling Chief Executive Joe Mansueto sits on a floor with the company's investment services group.

FORBES: Leadership

Anne Donovan, a human-resources executive at PricewaterhouseCoopers, says she has learned a lot about her colleagues by sitting at their desks, surrounded by personal items.

WSJ: Warming Up to the Officeless Office