Using and abusing metaknowledge: Motivated information processing and transactive memory systems

Research on transactive memory system (TMS) has shown that the distribution of metaknowledge (i.e., the “knowledge of who knows what”) among team members can affect team performance. In particular, a centralized TMS structure (i.e., when metaknowledge is concentrated within one member), compared to a decentralized structure (i.e., when metaknowledge is evenly distributed among the team members), has been shown to have the potential to spur the exchange and integration of information, thus improving team performance. In the present paper, we examine the role of two core motivational forces in this process. We argue that the relationship between TMS structure and team performance depends on the members’ motivation to deeply process information relative to the task (i.e., their epistemic motivation) and to work towards the best possible outcome for their group (i.e., their social motivation). Using a laboratory decision-making experiment (n=102), we show that epistemic motivation and social motivation modera...