How does knowledge heterogeneity affect transactive memory system in innovation? Evidence from a field study

The dispute over the benefit of diversity on the transactive memory system (TMS) has attracted the attention with the development of global collaboration. This paper aims to discover how knowledge heterogeneity (KH), categorized as explicit and tacit KH, affects TMS and to test the mediation effect of innovation climate (IC).

Data from a 6-month field study of 207 research and development (R&D) members and 7 expertize observers were analyzed by partial least squares structure equation model. Robustness check and Barron and Kenny mediation test were used to evaluate the model and confirm the mediation effect.

Tacit KH of R&D team negatively influences the development of TMS. Furthermore, IC partially mediates tacit KHs’ negative influence on the development of TMS.

These results distinguish the different influence of explicit and tacit KH on TMS and explore the mediating role of IC that has been confirmed affecting the development of TMS.

These results could motivate practitioners to address more attention to tacit KH, IC and the development of TMS in the R&D team members composition.

This study contributes not only to elucidate the different influence of explicit and tacit KH on TMS but also to the appropriate members composition of R&D team by considering the relationships among KH, IC, TMS and innovation performance.