peopleware covers this
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0932633439/sr=8-1/qid=1143934642/ref=sr_1_1/104-5132920-7647142?%5Fencoding=UTF8

I prefer open plan working with bright but not too noisy people. IRC does keep down chat. All people need to be busy and competent.

I don't like offices as when I am in one I am always thinking of excuses to go for a walk and talk to someone. Besides it can be unproductive if it is hard to ask a quick question.

Somehow we worked okay at school with 30 to class so I don't believe we need huge workstations or offices as log as you have enough deskspace to spread stuff around.
 

1. Something intersting to work on.

2. Not too many interruptions.

3. Fair bit of freedom to choose the way I solve the problems assigned to me.

4. For me, it's really good to be able to work from home quite a bit. I can then get a lot of work done, but still have a family life.

5. For my work, it's important to have some interaction with customers. This means I'm not working in a vacuum. Too much interaction with them is bad (see 2), but some is really important.

6. I'd be frustrated without IntelliJ, but otherwise the tools don't matter so much.

7. Casual clothes policy. Ironing is one incredibly useless waste of time.

T.L.
 

One of the things that I can suggest is by developing the technical and people skill. A good software engineer needs to understand the fast and changing technology and be able to apply the knowledge.

Good technical skill without people skill is almost useless. One needs to be able to communicate with the clients, to draw out what the client really wants (not what the engineer wants), to suggest alternatives …

In terms of ideal environment, it is one where technology and tools are available, open to suggestion, open to change for the better and most important of all, a good manager who believes in you and supportive of what you're doing.