Prairie-dogging refers to the practice of workers in an open-plan office raising their heads above the partitions surrounding their desks when they hear a loud voice or other noise. 

开放式办公室中的员工在听到喧哗的声响或者其他声音时，总忍不住在格子间抬头张望，观察四周的动静，这就是“土拨鼠效应”。

Whenever there's a loud sound or other unusual occurrence, everyone pops up to look over the walls to see what's happening. Co-worker conversations and team meetings may also take place via prairie dogging as an alternative to the water cooler or conference room. 

无论是有较大的声响还是异乎寻常的动静，所有人都抬起头来，目光越过隔间的隔板，想看看发生了什么。像土拨鼠般抬头，目光越过隔板，这样还可以进行同事交谈以及开团队会议，而不用去茶水间或者会议室。