Transactive Memory Systems: A Catalyst for the Cooperation of Industries, Universities and Research Institutions in Regional Innovation Systems

Transactive memory system (TMS) refers to the knowledge storage in individual's memory. Members in the organization rely on the knowledge network, and they have to utilize their knowledge and expertise to achieve shared goals. TMS consists of three parts: specialized team knowledge, mutual trust between members, and organized task processes (Lewis, 2003). Past research focused on the group level inside the organization. In the current study, TMS is applied to a higher level inter-organizational situation. We attempt to explore if this mechanism may exert an effect on the performance of inter-organizational cooperation in regional innovation systems (RIS). Data is collected from the industries in central Taiwan, which is a developing RIS. The main purpose of this paper is to reveal the implicit mechanism of inter-organizational cooperation. The results show that TMS is indeed a catalyst of organizational level collaboration. This research provides a new perspective to evaluate industrial cooperation, and the difference between the effects of these three dimensions is further discussed as well.