Transactive Memory Team

According to Wegner (1986), transactive memory indicates the provision that “one person has access to information in another’s memory by virtue of knowing that the other person is a location for an item with a certain label.” Thus, people would improve their own memory when they are communicating. Therefore, transactive memory, as it relates to teamwork, assists each person when they are trying to find information from other members of the team by way of communication.
A transactive memory system (TMS) has been extensively researched in information management practices. Research has proven that having an extremely reputable transactive memory system could increase team performance. This allows team members to obtain knowledge more efficiently along with enhancing the value of the entire team development. According to Wegner (1986), “transactive memory systems in a team not only involve the processes of communication between team members, but also embrace the processes of encoding, storage and retrieval.” Therefore, as a combination of the information management practices, a transactive memory system could also assist in the production of transitional results, which would also improve team performance.
A TMS …show more content…
One disadvantage of TMS can be having an inadequate transactive memory system. When a transactive memory system is inadequate or underdeveloped, some team members might not be able to find needed information. Wegner (1986) contends that when team members are not able to find information, this can result in significant problems for the entire team. Another disadvantage of TMS can happen when there is incorrect distribution of information to individual team members. When members are given incorrect information this can cause the team to waste a lot of time. Likewise, it can produce problems for other members when trying to process the