Can 'local acoustic treatment' reduce speech distraction within open-plan offices?

Overhearing conversations from nearby workstations can be one of the most distracting aspects of working in an open-plan office. To make these environments less noisy, while still providing acoustic support for speaking and listening, researchers are creating small "acoustic islands" using high-back chairs and retroreflective ceilings to direct sound to help you hear your own conversations--not others'--better.