Knowledge collaboration among physicians in online health communities: A transactive memory perspective

Abstract Knowledge teams have emerged in online health communities (OHCs) where physicians collaborate spontaneously with others through the Internet to gather knowledge. Knowledge collaboration (KC) facilitates physicians’ communication and the provision of better services to patients in today's medical environment. However, the underlying mechanism through which KC improves team performance in OHCs is not clear. This study aims to advance understanding of the KC process by exploring the role of the transactive memory system (TMS). Real operation data from 1071 teams in a leading OHC in China used to understand both the antecedent and consequences of the TMS and the interaction effects among different dimensions of TMS. The findings have demonstrated that leader's capital was a critical factor in KC by promoting the effective TMS development and further affect both team's process and outcome performance. Positive moderating effects of coordination on the relationship between credibility and performance are also found. This study reveals for the first time the role of KC in improving performance in online health markets from the TMS perspective. The findings provide theoretical guidance to physician–physician collaborative teams with guidelines on boosting chances for higher performance.