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Personality predictors of team taskwork understanding and transactive memory systems in service management teams

Priyanko Guchait (Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA)
Katherine Hamilton (College of Information Sciences and Technology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA)
Nan Hua (Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA)

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management

ISSN: 0959-6119

Article publication date: 8 April 2014

1417

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to examine how personality composition in teams related to team taskwork understanding (TTU) and transactive memory systems (TMS) over time. Additionally, the study examined the relationship between TTU and TMS, and three team criteria variables: performance, satisfaction, and cohesion.

Design/methodology/approach

A longitudinal study was conducted with 27 service management teams involving 178 undergraduate students in a restaurant setting. The restaurant was open to the public so the team outcomes had real world consequences. Each team served between 90-140 customers.

Findings

Results showed that team mean-level conscientiousness was significantly positively related to TTU and TMS in the initial stage of team formation. On the other hand, team mean-level agreeableness had a significant positive relationship with TTU and TMS later on in the team's lifecycle. Furthermore, significant positive relationships were found between TMS and team performance, TMS and team satisfaction, and TTU and team cohesion.

Originality/value

The current work looked at how various team cognitions develop in teams over time as a result of personality composition in teams which has not been tested before. Unlike prior research, this study was conducted in a field setting instead of an experimental study in the laboratory. Finally, no research exists studying these relationships in a hospitality context. Therefore, the current work extends the generalizability of the team composition and team cognition theories.

Keywords

Citation

Guchait, P., Hamilton, K. and Hua, N. (2014), "Personality predictors of team taskwork understanding and transactive memory systems in service management teams", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 26 No. 3, pp. 401-425. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-05-2013-0197

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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