Exploring the antecedents and consequences of the transactive memory system: an empirical analysis

Purpose This study aims to explore the influence of social interaction processes on transactive memory system (TMS) practice, the mediation of knowledge integration to the relationship between TMS and team performance and the moderation of team psychological safety to the relationship among TMS, knowledge intentions and team performance. Design/methodology/approach The authors collected data from a sample of 366 team members from 55 research and development (R&D) teams in Taiwan and conduct the analysis using the partial least squares method. Findings The results of this study indicate that social interaction processes have a positive effect on a TMS; a TMS can foster team performance, but knowledge integration mediates the relationship between the TMS and team performance; and team psychological safety can moderate the relationship between the TMS, knowledge integration and team performance. Originality/value Existing studies not only fail to explore the influence of social interaction processes on a TMS practice but also lack empirical analyses to explore knowledge integration as a mediator and team psychological safety as a moderator. This study fills that gap by developing a model that includes these types of relationships and suggests the importance of the TMS in the context of R&D.

[1]  S. Mohammed,et al.  Team mental models in a team knowledge framework: expanding theory and measurement across disciplinary boundaries , 2001 .

[2]  Heng Yih Liu,et al.  Constructing Virtual Communities on Internet: A Research Map through Different Organizational Levels , 2015 .

[3]  Dae Ryun Chang,et al.  Organizational memory influences new product success , 2008 .

[4]  Stanley Wasserman,et al.  Social Network Analysis: Methods and Applications , 1994, Structural analysis in the social sciences.

[5]  Paul S. Hempel,et al.  Transactive memory system links work team characteristics and performance. , 2007, The Journal of applied psychology.

[6]  Chi-Cheng Huang,et al.  Exploring the psychological safety of R&D teams: An empirical analysis in Taiwan , 2012 .

[7]  Kathleen M. Eisenhardt,et al.  Integrating Knowledge in Groups: How Formal Interventions Enable Flexibility , 2002, Organ. Sci..

[8]  R. Moreland,et al.  Exploring the Performance Benefits of Group Training: Transactive Memory or Improved Communication? , 2000 .

[9]  Kyle Lewis,et al.  Transactive Memory Systems, Learning, and Learning Transfer , 2005, Organ. Sci..

[10]  Peyman Akhavan,et al.  Social capital, knowledge sharing, and innovation capability: an empirical study of R&D teams in Iran , 2016, Technol. Anal. Strateg. Manag..

[11]  Youngjin Yoo,et al.  The Impact of Knowledge Coordination on Virtual Team Performance Over Time , 2007, MIS Q..

[12]  Simon Rodan,et al.  Innovation and heterogeneous knowledge in managerial contact networks , 2002, J. Knowl. Manag..

[13]  Feniosky Peña-Mora,et al.  Dynamic Conflict Management in Large-Scale Design and Construction Projects , 2007 .

[14]  Kristopher J Preacher,et al.  Addressing Moderated Mediation Hypotheses: Theory, Methods, and Prescriptions , 2007, Multivariate behavioral research.

[15]  César Camisón,et al.  Non-technical innovation: Organizational memory and learning capabilities as antecedent factors with effects on sustained competitive advantage☆ , 2011 .

[16]  Vesa Peltokorpi,et al.  Antecedents and the Performance Outcome of Transactive Memory in Daycare Work Groups , 2008 .

[17]  Kyle Lewis,et al.  Knowledge and Performance in Knowledge-Worker Teams: A Longitudinal Study of Transactive Memory Systems , 2004, Manag. Sci..

[18]  John R. Austin.  Transactive memory in organizational groups: the effects of content, consensus, specialization, and accuracy on group performance. , 2003, The Journal of applied psychology.

[19]  Md. Abul Mohaimen.  Talent Management: Three New Perceptions Intended for Managing and Retaining Talent in Bangladesh , 2013 .

[20]  Keith Goffin,et al.  Factors Supporting Knowledge Integration in Global Innovation Projects: An Exploratory Study , 2013 .

[21]  Marko Sarstedt,et al.  Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM): An emerging tool in business research , 2014 .

[22]  Patricia Fitzpatrick,et al.  IN IT TOGETHER: ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING THROUGH PARTICIPATION IN ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT , 2005 .

[23]  P. Ritala,et al.  Knowledge sharing, knowledge leaking and relative innovation performance: An empirical study , 2015 .

[24]  A. Hollingshead.  Communication, Learning, and Retrieval in Transactive Memory Systems☆☆☆ , 1998 .

[25]  D. A. Kenny,et al.  The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. , 1986, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[26]  Eric T. G. Wang,et al.  Understanding knowledge sharing in virtual communities: An integration of social capital and social cognitive theories , 2006, Decis. Support Syst..

[27]  Aleksander P. J. Ellis,et al.  The Effects of Critical Team Member Assertiveness on Team Performance and Satisfaction , 2006 .

[28]  John J. Sosik,et al.  Silver Bullet or Voodoo Statistics? , 2009 .

[29]  Y. Connie Yuan,et al.  Expertise Directory Development, Shared Task Interdependence, and Strength of Communication Network Ties as Multilevel Predictors of Expertise Exchange in Transactive Memory Work Groups , 2010, Commun. Res..

[30]  Sangphet Hanvanich,et al.  The relationship of learning and memory with organizational performance: The moderating role of turbulence , 2006 .

[31]  Mark S. Ackerman,et al.  Reexamining organizational memory , 2000, Commun. ACM.

[32]  Muammer Ozer,et al.  A moderated mediation model of the relationship between organizational citizenship behaviors and job performance. , 2011, The Journal of applied psychology.

[33]  Chih-Yun Wu,et al.  Transactive Memory Systems: A Catalyst for the Cooperation of Industries, Universities and Research Institutions in Regional Innovation Systems , 2014 .

[34]  Heeseok Lee,et al.  Knowledge Management Enablers, Processes, and Organizational Performance: An Integrative View and Empirical Examination , 2003, J. Manag. Inf. Syst..

[35]  Dorothy R. Carter,et al.  Conflict, Trust, and Cohesion: Examining Affective and Attitudinal Factors in Science Teams , 2015 .

[36]  Naina Gupta,et al.  Differentiated Versus Integrated Transactive Memory Effectiveness: It Depends on the Task , 2010 .

[37]  Youngjin Yoo,et al.  DEVELOPMENTS OF TRANSACTIVE MEMORY SYSTEMS AND COLLECTIVE MIND IN VIRTUAL TEAMS , 2001 .

[38]  Beliz Ozorhon,et al.  Organizational memory formation and its use in construction , 2005 .

[39]  J. McGrath.  Groups: Interaction and Performance , 1984 .

[40]  Ricarda B. Bouncken,et al.  Knowledge Management for Quality Improvements in Hotels , 2002 .

[41]  C. Judd,et al.  When moderation is mediated and mediation is moderated. , 2005, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[42]  Aimée A. Kane,et al.  One of Us or One of My Friends: How Social Identity and Tie Strength Shape the Creative Generativity of Boundary-Spanning Ties , 2014 .

[43]  Devi R. Gnyawali,et al.  Developing Synergistic Knowledge in Student Groups , 2003 .

[44]  Kyle Lewis.  Measuring transactive memory systems in the field: scale development and validation. , 2003, The Journal of applied psychology.

[45]  Andrea B. Hollingshead,et al.  Potential Benefits of Communication in Transactive Memory Systems , 2003 .

[46]  Tanja Engelmann,et al.  Knowledge and information awareness for initiating transactive memory system processes of computer-supported collaborating ad hoc groups , 2010, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[47]  Stephen Procter,et al.  Social Remembering and Organizational Memory , 2010 .

[48]  Friedrich W. Hesse,et al.  Fostering sharing of unshared knowledge by having access to the collaborators' meta-knowledge structures , 2011, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[49]  M. Hoegl,et al.  Team member proximity and teamwork in innovative projects , 2004 .

[50]  Q. Wang,et al.  Effects of start-up firm's social network on knowledge transfer: An empirical study , 2012 .

[51]  Yuqing Ren,et al.  Transactive Memory Systems 1985–2010: An Integrative Framework of Key Dimensions, Antecedents, and Consequences , 2011 .

[52]  Tzu-Chien Liu,et al.  Identifying Personalized Context-Aware Knowledge Structure for Individual User in Ubiquitous Learning Environment , 2008, Fifth IEEE International Conference on Wireless, Mobile, and Ubiquitous Technology in Education (wmute 2008).

[53]  C. Castaldi,et al.  Co-Innovation By Kibs In Environmental Services — A Knowledge-Based Perspective , 2013 .

[54]  Sharon D. Kruse,et al.  Remembering as organizational memory , 2003 .

[55]  Kirsimarja Blomqvist,et al.  MY IDEA IS OUR IDEA! SUPPORTING USER-DRIVEN INNOVATION ACTIVITIES IN CROWDSOURCING COMMUNITIES , 2013 .

[56]  Christine Halverson,et al.  Organizational memory: processes, boundary objects, and trajectories , 1999, Proceedings of the 32nd Annual Hawaii International Conference on Systems Sciences. 1999. HICSS-32. Abstracts and CD-ROM of Full Papers.

[57]  Edward T. Palazzolo.  Organizing for Information Retrieval in Transactive Memory Systems , 2005, Commun. Res..

[58]  A. Hollingshead,et al.  Transactive Memory and Performance in Work Groups: Specificity, Communication, Ability Differences, and Work Allocation , 2008 .

[59]  P. Stone,et al.  Human Capital and Productivity in a Team Environment: Evidence from the Healthcare Sector , 2014 .

[60]  John Byrne,et al.  Transactive memory system in new product development teams , 2006, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management.

[61]  Bart van den Hooff,et al.  Are We on the Same Page? Knowledge Boundaries and Transactive Memory System Development in Cross-Functional Teams , 2015, Commun. Res..

[62]  Julija Mell,et al.  The catalyst effect: : The impact of transactive memory system structure on team performance , 2014 .

[63]  John Cordery,et al.  Overcoming impediments to virtual team effectiveness , 2008 .

[64]  Ephraim R. McLean,et al.  Expertise Integration and Creativity in Information Systems Development , 2005, J. Manag. Inf. Syst..

[65]  Bennett E. Postlethwaite,et al.  Reaping the benefits of task conflict in teams: the critical role of team psychological safety climate. , 2012, The Journal of applied psychology.

[66]  Bassam Hasan,et al.  An Empirical Examination of Factors Affecting Group Effectiveness in Information Systems Projects. , 2007 .

[67]  D. Wegner.  Transactive Memory: A Contemporary Analysis of the Group Mind , 1987 .

[68]  Robert W. Zmud,et al.  Behavioral Intention Formation in Knowledge Sharing: Examining the Roles of Extrinsic Motivators, Social-Psychological Factors, and Organizational Climate , 2005, MIS Q..

[69]  John Byrne,et al.  Knowledge Networks in New Product Development Projects: A Transactive Memory Perspective , 2005, Inf. Manag..

[70]  Heeseok Lee,et al.  The Impact of Information Technology and Transactive Memory Systems on Knowledge Sharing, Application, and Team Performance: A Field Study , 2010, MIS Q..

[71]  Aleksander P. J. Ellis.  System Breakdown: The Role of Mental Models and Transactive Memory in the Relationship between Acute Stress and Team Performance , 2006 .

[72]  Yong-Hui Li,et al.  Exploitative and exploratory learning in transactive memory systems and project performance , 2013, Inf. Manag..

[73]  Nachoem Wijnberg,et al.  Organizational Memory: From Expectations Memory to Procedural Memory , 2009 .

[74]  Linda Argote,et al.  First, get your feet wet: The effects of learning from direct and indirect experience on team creativity , 2010 .

[75]  C. Gockel,et al.  Trust your teammates or bosses? Differential effects of trust on transactive memory, job satisfaction, and performance , 2012 .

[76]  Elliot Bendoly,et al.  Mediating effects of psychological safety in the relationship between team affectivity and transactive memory systems , 2016 .

[77]  Peter R. Monge,et al.  SOCIAL CAPITAL AND TRANSACTIVE MEMORY SYSTEMS IN WORK GROUPS: A MULTILEVEL APPROACH. , 2005 .

[78]  A. Edmondson.  Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams , 1999 .

[79]  Vesa Peltokorpi,et al.  Transactive Memory Systems , 2008 .

[80]  E. Kelloway,et al.  Development and test of a model linking safety-specific transformational leadership and occupational safety. , 2002, The Journal of applied psychology.

[81]  R. Moreland.  Transactive memory: Learning who knows what in work groups and organizations. , 1999 .

[82]  Jörg Henseler,et al.  Testing Moderating Effects in PLS Path Models. An Illustration of Available Procedures , 2005 .

[83]  M. Lynne Markus,et al.  Toward A Theory of Knowledge Reuse : Types of Knowledge Reuse Situations and Factors in Reuse Success , 2022 .

[84]  Heike Bruch,et al.  Affective mechanisms linking dysfunctional behavior to performance in work teams: a moderated mediation study. , 2008, The Journal of applied psychology.

[85]  S. Ghoshal,et al.  Social Capital, Intellectual Capital, and the Organizational Advantage , 1998 .

[86]  Sheng-Pao Shih,et al.  The impact of transactive memory systems on IS development teams , 2012 .

[87]  Holly M. Hutchins,et al.  Mediation and Moderated Mediation in the Relationship Among Role Models, Self‐Efficacy, Entrepreneurial Career Intention, and Gender , 2011 .

[88]  Yanfeng Zheng.  Unlocking Founding Team Prior Shared Experience: A Transactive Memory System Perspective , 2012 .

[89]  Hsi-An Shih,et al.  High commitment work system, transactive memory system, and new product performance , 2014 .

[90]  Karen A. Jehn,et al.  Towards a model for team learning in multidisciplinary crisis management teams , 2008 .

[91]  Kyle Lewis,et al.  Group cognition, membership change, and performance: Investigating the benefits and detriments of collective knowledge ☆ , 2007 .

[92]  Marko Sarstedt,et al.  Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM): A useful tool for family business researchers , 2014 .

[93]  L. Sproull,et al.  Coordinating Expertise in Software Development Teams , 2000 .

[94]  Robert C. Giambatista,et al.  Effects of Adaptive Behaviors and Shared Mental Models on Control Crew Performance , 2004, Manag. Sci..

[95]  Wynne W. Chin,et al.  A Partial Least Squares Latent Variable Modeling Approach for Measuring Interaction Effects: Results from a Monte Carlo Simulation Study and an Electronic - Mail Emotion/Adoption Study , 2003, Inf. Syst. Res..

[96]  Michel C. Desmarais,et al.  Intelligent Guide: Combining User Knowledge Assessment with Pedagogical Guidance , 1996, Intelligent Tutoring Systems.

[97]  Mihir A. Parikh,et al.  Knowledge Management Framework for High-Tech Research and Development , 2001 .

[98]  Isabell M. Welpe,et al.  How do organizations remember? The influence of organizational structure on organizational memory , 2010 .

[99]  Anne S. Miner,et al.  The Impact of Organizational Memory on New Product Performance and Creativity , 1997 .

[100]  V. Wickramasinghe,et al.  Effects of interpersonal trust, team leader support, rewards, and knowledge sharing mechanisms on knowledge sharing in project teams , 2012 .

[101]  Detmar W. Straub,et al.  Competitive and Cooperative Positioning in Supply Chain Logistics Relationships , 2007, Decis. Sci..

[102]  Marko Sarstedt,et al.  PLS-SEM: Indeed a Silver Bullet , 2011 .

[103]  Qing Hu,et al.  Assimilation of Enterprise Systems: The Effect of Institutional Pressures and the Mediating Role of Top Management , 2007, MIS Q..

[104]  R. Wadhwani,et al.  The Future of the Past in Management and Organization Studies , 2013 .

[105]  Anant Mishra,et al.  Task Design, Team Context, and Psychological Safety: An Empirical Analysis of R&D Projects in High Technology Organizations , 2012 .

[106]  R. Moreland,et al.  Group Versus Individual Training and Group Performance: The Mediating Role of Transactive Memory , 1995 .

[107]  A. Edmondson.  Learning from Mistakes is Easier Said than Done , 2004 .

[108]  Jack Shih-Chieh Hsu,et al.  The impact of team knowledge on problem solving competence in information systems development team , 2015 .