Measurement Matters: A Meta-Analytic Examination of Transactive Memory Systems and Team Outcomes

This meta-analysis examined how transactive memory systems (TMS) operationalization, task characteristics, and outcome measurements moderate TMS-team outcome relationships in laboratory studies. Based on 44 studies (103 effect sizes), TMS demonstrated a moderate positive relationship with team outcomes ( r = .44, 95% CI [0.36, 0.50], p < .001). Team outcome measurement approach emerged as a significant moderator: self-report scales yielded larger effects ( r = .77) than observer ratings ( r = .38) or embedded metrics ( r = .39). Findings highlight the importance of measurement decisions in TMS research.