Enhancing team performance through transactive memory

Abstract

Purpose

The major focus in the current scenario in organizational settings has shifted from individual performance to team performance. The current study investigates team performance and its antecedents from both social and cognitive dimensions and hence provides a qualitative and synopsis of the same. There is one such antecedent transactive memory which collectively looks into both the facets. For more than a decade after the very emergence of this concept, a plethora of work has been done to relate team performance and transactive memory. In an attempt to understand both these multi-dimensional constructs, and to comprehend the interrelationships in a better way, this paper aims to analyze the impact of transactive memory on team performance and how to improve it in organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is purely conceptual. So it uses other earlier studies to make necessary propositions.

Findings

The present study tries to qualitatively analyze the impact of transactive memory on team performance with respect to the various dimensions of team performance both task process and relational performance. The results of the study show a positive relationship between the three dimensions of transactive memory – credibility, consensus and specilaization and team performance. The study also provides recommendations to improvise transactive memory in organizations.

Research limitations/implications

The paper is not empirical, so further empirical analysis could enrich the results.

Originality/value

The paper is original in terms of giving solutions to increase transactive memory in organizational set up.

Citation

Chatterjee, S. (2016), "Enhancing team performance through transactive memory", Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. 30 No. 4, pp. 13-16. https://doi.org/10.1108/DLO-06-2015-0055