Transactive memory system links work team characteristics and performance
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
Journal of Applied Psychology
Publication Date
11-1-2007
Volume
92
Issue
6
First Page
1722
Last Page
1730
Publisher
American Psychological Association
Keywords
work team, transactive memory system, team characteristics, performance, team process
Abstract
Teamwork and coordination of expertise among team members with different backgrounds are increasingly recognized as important for team effectiveness. Recently, researchers have examined how team members rely on transactive memory system (TMS; D. M. Wegner, 1987) to share their distributed knowledge and expertise. To establish the ecological validity and generality of TMS research findings, this study sampled 104 work teams from a variety of organizational settings in China and examined the relationships between team characteristics, TMS, and team performance. The results suggest that task interdependence, cooperative goal interdependence, and support for innovation are positively related to work teams' TMS and that TMS is related to team performance; moreover, structural equation analysis indicates that TMS mediates the team characteristics-performance links. Findings have implications both for team leaders to manage their work teams effectively and for team members to improve their team performance.
DOI
10.1037/0021-9010.92.6.1722
Print ISSN
00219010
E-ISSN
19391854
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2007, American Psychological Association
Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Zhang, Z. X., Hempel, P. S., Han, Y. L., & Tjosvold, D. (2007). Transactive memory system links work team characteristics and performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(6), 1722-1730. doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.92.6.1722