Transactive Memory Research Articles

Transactive Memory Systems for Improving the Innovation Capability of Hotel Establishments and Their Online Reputation

Transactive Memory Systems for Improving the Innovation Capability of Hotel Establishments and Their Online Reputation

Transactive Memory in Caregiver Networks Using Artificial Intelligence

As the population ages and an increasing number of adults want to age in place in their homes, they will rely on a network of family, friends, and other caregivers to provide various forms of assistance. Coordination across this loosely connected network is a common challenge, requiring information sharing, schedule alignment and task coordination. Here, we propose that artificial intelligence (AI) may be used to develop tools to help loosely connected care networks develop better collective cognition. Specifically, we focus on helping members of care networks develop a transactive memory system, or a shared system for storing and retrieving knowledge that expands the capacity of a group to effectively use information. In this paper, we describe the motivation for our study, and our planned research program based on the use of an online experimental platform facilitating human-AI collaboration to develop and test tools to enhance collective cognition in care networks.

The group mind of hybrid teams with humans and intelligent agents in knowledge-intense work

Studies regularly demonstrate how well intelligent agents (IAs) can support humans or are demonstrably superior to them in some areas. Given that some tasks likely remain unsuitable for even the most intelligent machines in the mid-future, work in hybrid teams of humans and IAs—where the capabilities of both are effectively combined—will most likely shape the way we work in the coming decades. In an abductive study, we investigate an early example of hybrid teams, consisting of a conversational intelligent agent (IA) and humans, that aims to improve health behavior or change personality traits. We theorize Transactive Intelligent Memory System (TIMS) as a new vision of collaboration between humans and IAs in hybrid teams, based on our empirical insights and our literature review on transactive memory systems theory. Our empirical evidence shows that IAs can develop a form of individual and external memory, and hybrid teams of humans and IAs can realize joint systems of transactive memory—a competence that current literature only ascribes to humans. We further find that whether individuals view IAs merely as external memory aids or as part of their teams’ transactive memory is moderated by the tasks’ complexity and knowledge intensity, as well as the IA's ability to complete the task. This theorizing helps to better understand the role of IAs in future team-based working processes. Developers of IAs can use TIMS as a tool for requirements formulation to prepare their software agents for collaboration in hybrid teams.

Frequent internet use is associated with better episodic memory performance

As the internet is becoming more and more accessible and prevalent, there has been growing interest in determining the effect of internet use on human cognition, particularly memory. However, much less is known about how internet use frequency is related to episodic memory, which refers to the memory of past events as opposed to facts (i.e., semantic memory). Episodic memory is very relevant to the internet because of the notion that the internet is a form of transactive memory, which requires people to retrieve how information was accessed (i.e., episodic memory) rather than the information itself (i.e., semantic memory). By analyzing data from 36, 542 participants with 44.06% females and a mean age of 46.63 years old from the Understanding Society using multivariate and univariate analysis of variances (ANOVA), the current study found that the frequency of internet use is positively related to episodic memory (assessed using the immediate recall and delayed word recall tasks). These results provide support to the notion that the internet is a form of transactive memory and the “use it, or lose it” theory.

The relationship among the innovation environment, transactive memory system of the R&D team, and knowledge collaboration

The innovation environment is the basis for the operation of the innovation ecosystem. In an era where knowledge resources are increasingly recognized as core assets, the advent of transactive memory system (TMS) has significantly enhanced the knowledge collaboration among R&D (Research & Development) teams, thereby boosting their innovation performance. Based on the empirical analysis of 235 valid questionnaires, this paper explores the relationship among the innovation environment, R&D Team's TMS, and knowledge collaboration. The results show that: (1) the Innovation environment has a direct and significant positive effect on the team's TMS and knowledge collaboration; (2) Team's TMS has some direct and significant positive effects and mediating effects on Knowledge Collaboration, and the Coordination of team's TMS has no significant effect on the Knowledge Integration process of Knowledge Collaboration; (3) The innovation environment can indirectly affect the knowledge collaboration process through the Specialization and Credibility of the TMS. This study further enriches the relevant research in the field of knowledge management and provides theoretical support and countermeasures for enterprises to promote innovation and development by optimizing knowledge management.

Enhancing Team Creative Efficacy Through Online Whiteboard-Based Collaborative Environment in Design Thinking: A Team Cognition Perspective

In 21st-century higher education, design thinking (DT) has emerged as a pivotal approach, encouraging students to tackle challenges from diverse perspectives and nurture their creative confidence. Collaboration within DT relies on cultivating team cognition, comprising transactive memory systems (TMS) and shared mental models (SMM), which are essential for enhancing team creative efficacy (TCE) through knowledge integration and coordinated efforts. Nowadays, online whiteboard-based collaborative learning environments (OWCLEs) have reshaped DT collaboration, offering affordances for team co-creation activities. However, there is limited research on how OWCLEs support team cognition, potentially impacting TCE. To address this gap, a theoretical model is proposed and validated. Survey data from 128 college students demonstrated that OWCLE affordances directly influence TCE and indirectly improve it by reinforcing team cognition, with SMM playing a crucial role. TMS fosters SMM within teams, subsequently impacting TCE indirectly. This study highlights the potential of leveraging OWCLEs in DT to enhance students’ creative efficacy. Additionally, the study stresses the significance of integrating multidisciplinary knowledge to foster TMS, build robust SMMs, and improve TCE.

Who benefits from virtual collaboration? The interplay of team member expertness and Big Five personality traits

This research applies and integrates transactive memory systems (TMS) theory and the Big Five personality traits model to investigate the performance dynamics of dyadic teams engaged in virtual collaborative problem-solving (CPS). Specifically, this study examines how the personal attributes of team members, including their expertness and Big Five personality traits (extraversion, agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism), as well as the resultant diversity in expertness and Big Five personality traits within teams, influence both team-level and individual-level performance gain from virtual collaboration. Studying 377 dyadic teams composed of 754 individuals working on an online collaborative intellective task, this research found that dyads with high expertness diversity had greater performance gain from virtual collaboration than dyads with low expertness diversity. Further, dyads, where both members scored low on agreeableness, showed the most significant improvement in team performance. At the individual level, a team member who had a low expertness level but was paired with a high-expertness teammate demonstrated the greatest performance gain from virtual collaboration. The integration of TMS theory and the Big Five personality traits model provides a richer and more nuanced understanding of how individual attributes and team dynamics contribute to successful virtual CPS outcomes.

Exploring the impact of team engagement on patient satisfaction: insights from social support and transactive memory system

PurposeResearch on the impact of the engagement of online medical teams (OMTs) on patient evaluation, for example, satisfaction, remains insufficient. This study attempts to recognize the underlying mechanism of how OMTs’ engagement influences patient satisfaction by adopting social support as the mediator. This study also scrutinizes the moderating effects of the transactive memory system (TMS) on the link between OMTs’ engagement and social support.Design/methodology/approachWe utilized a linear model that had fixed effects controlled at the team level for analysis. A bootstrapping approach using 5,000 samples was employed to test the mediation effect.FindingsOur results reveal that OMTs’ engagement improves informational and emotional support, thereby promoting patient satisfaction. Specialization and credibility strengthen the impact of OMTs’ engagement on informational and emotional support. Simultaneously, coordination has an insignificant influence on the link between OMTs’ engagement and social support.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature on OMTs, social support, and TMS, providing insights into patients’ perceptions of OMTs’ engagement during online team consultation. This study also generates several implications for the practice of online health communities and OMTs.

Exploring the transactive relationships of influence factors for online asynchronous learning transactive memory system

Transactive memory system (TMS) makes learning and transferring knowledge easy and efficient. This study has constructed a conceptual model of TMS to reveal the crucial factors influencing the formation of a TMS in online asynchronous learning to foster knowledge sharing and collaboration and enhance knowledge transfer effectiveness. The conceptual model of TMS is built upon theoretical foundations concerning the creation of TMS and the variables influencing them. The study has put forth a set of hypotheses to predict the expected effects of group factors, individual factors, task interdependence, the degree of intellectual silence, and knowledge management on the formation of TMS. In this study, a total of 229 questionnaire data were collected from undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students in Northeast China who had experience with an online asynchronous learning TMS. Structural equation modeling has been employed to identify the key indicators involved and their influence on the formation of TMS. The empirical study was carried out using statistical analysis of SPSS data, with the results indicating that each factor has varying impacts on knowledge management, ultimately affecting the formation of TMS. These findings provide a more nuanced understanding of how these factors shape online asynchronous learning environments.

Linking team emergent states to achieve persistence with a business idea in student teams

AbstractThe expanding research on team emergent states explains many facets of team dynamics in an entrepreneurial context. However, the interactions between team emergent states are still unknown. Detached from team emergent states, studies on student entrepreneurship have disclosed findings clustered around students' entrepreneurial intentions while neglecting the issue of persistence with a developed business idea. This study contributes to the literature by proposing an intersection between team emergent states and student entrepreneurial education research via a model where transactive memory systems mediate the effect of team efficacy on team persistence. The model is tested on a sample of student teams using a partial least‐square structural equation modelling approach. The findings support the proposed indirect effect. The study offers theoretical implications for team emergent states and policy implications for entrepreneurial education.

Role of social media to improve job performance with mediating role of transactive memory capability and employee creativity.

The increased usage of social media in organizational settings has raised questions about its effect on job performance. This study explains the interplay between social media usage, transactive memory capability, employee creativity, and job performance within the Chinese organizational context. The rationale for this study stems from the need to understand how social media usage can enhance job performance through cognitive and creative processes within teams. On the basis of earlier literature, the survey questionnaire was designed to collect data and the survey included validated scales to measure these constructs. The data is collected from 816 employees in China via online resources like social media and emails and then Structural Equation Modeling is used for empirical analysis through AMOS software. The findings show the positive impact of social media on job performance while transactive memory capability and employee creativity mediates this relationship. These findings contribute to a better understanding of how social media can be leveraged to improve job performance. Practical implications highlight the importance of fostering transactive memory capability through social media platforms, facilitating employee creativity, and ultimately, bolstering job performance. Additionally, this study underscores the need for organizations to strategically harness the potential of social media as a catalyst for innovation and knowledge sharing, thus optimizing workforce performance in the digital era.

Igniting a knowledge renaissance: revolutionising entrepreneurial ecosystems with transactive memory systems

PurposePrior research has extensively explored the dynamics of knowledge creation and transfer within entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs). However, the research on knowledge integration within EEs, particularly by entrepreneurs, remains scant. Garnering and effectively using knowledge in such a dynamic and complex environment can provide entrepreneurs with a valuable asset for gaining a competitive advantage. To address this gap, this study aims to explore how entrepreneurs garner and capitalise on knowledge within the EE environment by using a transactive memory system lens.Design/methodology/approachThis study is based on 26 semi-structured interviews with different actors and members of the same ecosystem – the northern Finnish health tech ecosystem. The data were analysed using the Gioia methodology.FindingsThis study results found that transactive memory processes (i.e. knowledge specialisation, credibility and coordination) and structures (i.e. differentiated-, shared- and meta-knowledge) influence knowledge organising in EEs.Originality/valueThis study provides a conceptual interplay between the EE and the transactive memory system’s processes and structures.

Mediation of transactive memory capability in relationship of social media usage and job performance.

This study explores the role of transactive memory capability as a mediator in the relationship between social media usage and job performance. Drawing on transactive memory theory, we hypothesized that individuals who use social media more intensively for task-oriented purposes and relationship building are more likely to develop transactive memory capability, which in turn enhances their job performance. A survey was conducted among 816 employees in China from various industries to collect data on their social media usage patterns, transactive memory capability, and job performance. Results from structural equation modeling indicate that social media usage has a positive impact on job performance. Additionally, transactive memory capability mediates the relationship between social media usage and job performance. This study has contribution in literature by demonstrating the beneficial effects of social media usage on the development of transactive memory capability and job performance. It is suggested that social media usage can be used a valuable tool for enhancing performance of employees. Employees should gain an understanding of how social media fosters the development of transactive memory capability to utilize it more effectively. These findings also suggest that the way individuals use social media can influence their ability to access and share knowledge within their social networks, ultimately impacting their job performance.

Investigation of the effect of group cohesion, group atmosphere, transactive memory system, and social interaction space on online cooperative learning attitude

Investigation of the effect of group cohesion, group atmosphere, transactive memory system, and social interaction space on online cooperative learning attitude

Transactive Memory Systems and Acquisition Performance: A Strategic Decision Making Process Perspective

AbstractDuring the pre‐merger phase of an acquisition, fundamental decisions are made concerning whether to buy, which company to buy, and how much to pay. Further, acquisitions carry significant firm‐wide implications requiring input from multiple different specializations, and hence, they are the product of the judgements, decisions, and social interactions between top managers. We focus our theory development on a pivotal yet under‐researched top management team characteristic, transactive memory system (TMS). TMS is the shared division of cognitive labour with respect to encoding, storing, and retrieving knowledge from individual areas of expertise. We theorize that TMT transactive memory directly influences the strategic decision making process, which in turn determines acquisition performance. We test our hypotheses with a sample of 109 acquisitions, combining survey and archival data. We find that TMT transactive memory increases reliance on expert intuition and procedural rationality, while reducing political behaviour; and each of these three strategic decision processes carries different implications for acquisition performance. Our study advances theory by explaining the team‐level behavioural mechanisms that underlie acquisition performance.

How can service organizations build resilience by leveraging capabilities and service worker team knowledge?

Purpose Grounded in dynamic capabilities theory, this study aims to examine how dynamic capabilities and a transactive memory system (TMS) can build the resilience of service organizations and improve their financial performance. Limited studies examine the link between a TMS and organizational resilience. Design/methodology/approach The authors test a theoretical model on a sample of 350 UK service firms that were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and analyze the data using partial least square structural equation modeling. Findings Results highlight the positive effects of a TMS and dynamic capabilities on organizational resilience. Only a TMS and organizational resilience have direct positive effects on financial performance. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to ascertain the influence of a TMS on organizational resilience in service firms following adversity.

The Role of Transactive Memory System on Knowledge Creation in IT Projects to Accelerate Digital Innovation

The Role of Transactive Memory System on Knowledge Creation in IT Projects to Accelerate Digital Innovation

The application of transactive memory in the learning organization and the role of credibility

Studies have shown that transactive memory plays a significant role in how learning occurs within organizations. While many studies have looked at what influences the growth of transactive memory, not much research has been done on how the thought processes of people working in groups are formed. This area of study examines the importance of how knowledge is organized in people's minds at work for the growth of transactive memory and how this process is affected by individual characteristics. Therefore, this study aims to fill this gap by looking at how trust and skill, known as credibility dimensions, affect the growth of transactive memory. For this purpose, information was gathered from 239 people working at a paint and coating company in Saudi Arabia. The results indicate that both trust and skill significantly influence the development of transactive memory.

Why project managers’ knowledge hiding is harmful to NPD projects: resilient team resource caravans as an explanatory mechanism

PurposeNew product development (NPD) projects are strategically important for firms’ operations but suffer from high failure rates. Leadership is a key factor for project success. However, in contrast to positive project leadership, project managers’ knowledge hiding has received little attention. Drawing on the input-mediator-output (IMO) framework and model of work team resilience, we explored the effect of project managers’ destructive knowledge hiding (i.e. evasive hiding and playing dumb) on project team performance (i.e. efficiency and effectiveness) and the serial indirect effect through team psychological safety and transactive memory systems.Design/methodology/approachWe conducted a time-lagged multiple-sourcing investigation of Chinese high-tech firms and tested the hypotheses using data collected from 105 NPD project teams.FindingsOur findings demonstrated that project managers’ knowledge hiding negatively affects NPD project team performance and indirectly negatively affects transactive memory systems through team psychological safety. Moreover, project managers’ knowledge hiding exerts a negative indirect effect on team performance through team psychological safety and transactive memory systems in serial.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature on operations management (OM) by broadening our understanding of the connection between project managers' destructive knowledge hiding and the failure of NPD projects. In providing such insight, it also offers practical guidance for overcoming team-level obstacles arising from project managers' knowledge hiding.

Linking the top management team transactive memory system, strategic flexibility and digital business model innovation: a dynamic capabilities perspective

ABSTRACT This study applies the dynamic capabilities perspective to explore how the top management team transactive memory system affects digital business model innovation through strategic flexibility. It proposes hypotheses regarding the relationships between the top management team transactive memory system, strategic flexibility, and digital business model innovation. Furthermore, it tests these hypotheses using the Structural Equation Model and the Bootstrapping method for the data collected from 205 Chinese firms. The results show that the top management team transactive memory system has a significant positive impact on strategic flexibility and digital business model innovation; the top management team transactive memory system can influence digital business model innovation through strategic flexibility. These findings provide a new dynamic capabilities framework for digital business model innovation from the perspective of top management team cognition and contribute to the literature on digital business model innovation from a dynamic capabilities perspective. They also provide insight into how firms can build dynamic capabilities to promote digital business model innovation.