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The comprehensive review synthesizes 64 empirical studies on communication and transactive memory systems (TMS). The results reveal that (a) a TMS forms through communication about expertise; (b) as a TMS develops, communication to allocate information and coordinate retrieval increases, promoting information exchange; and (c) groups update their TMS through communicative learning. However, direct interpersonal communication is not necessary for TMS development or utilization. Nor do high-quality information-sharing processes always occur within developed TMS structures. For future research, we propose a multidimensional network approach to TMS that incorporates technologies, addresses member characteristics, considers multiple communication types, and situates groups in context.

Research on the wisdom of crowds (WOC) identifies two paradoxical effects of communication. The social influence effect hampers the WOC, whereas the collective learning effect improves crowd wisdom. Yet it remains unclear under what conditions such communication impedes or enhances collective wisdom. The current study examined two features characterizing communication in online communities, communication network centralization and shared task experience, and their effect on the WOC. Both these features can serve as indicators of the likelihood that underlying communication may facilitate either social influence or collective learning. With an 8-year longitudinal behavioral-trace data set of 269,871 participants and 1,971 crowds, we showed that communication network centralization negatively affected the WOC. By contrast, shared task experience positively predicted the WOC. Shared task experience also moderated the effect of communication network centralization such that centralized communication networks became more beneficial for crowd performance as shared task experience increased.

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how communication practices influence individuals’ team assembly and performance in open innovation contests. Design/methodology/approach This study analyzed behavioral trace data of 4,651 teams and 19,317 participants from a leading open innovation platform, Kaggle. The analyses applied weighted least squares regression and weighted mediation analysis. Findings Sharing online profiles positively relates to a person’s performance and likelihood of becoming a leader in open innovation teams. Team assembly effectiveness (one’s ability to team up with high-performing teammates) mediates the relationship between online profile sharing and performance. Moreover, sharing personal websites has a stronger positive effect on performance and likelihood of becoming a team leader, compared to sharing links to professional social networking sites (e.g. LinkedIn). Research limitations/implications As team collaboration becomes increasingly common in open innovation, participants’ sharing of their online profiles becomes an important variable predicting their success. This study extends prior research on virtual team collaboration by highlighting the role of communication practices that occur in the team pre-assembly stage, as an antecedent of team assembly. It also addresses a long-standing debate about the credibility of information online by showing that a narrative-based online profile format (e.g. a personal website) can be more powerful than a standardized format (e.g. LinkedIn). Practical implications Open innovation organizers should encourage online profile sharing among participants to facilitate effective team assembly in order to improve innovation outcomes. Originality/value The current study highlights the importance of team assembly in open innovation, especially the role of sharing online profiles in this process. It connects two areas of research that are previously distant, one on team assembly and one on online profile sharing. It also adds new empirical evidence to the discussion about online information credibility.

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The advancements in information and communication technologies in the past few decades, as represented by ubiquitous computing, social media, and artificial intelligence, have made it possible for people to connect with each other and with technologies anytime and everywhere. These developments challenge the traditional distinctions between online and offline groups, raise questions about the relations between people and technology, and provide opportunities to study emergent dynamics of social interaction in groups. Building on the multidimensional network perspective, this chapter conceptualizes online groups as multidimensional networks (a) composed of both human members and non-human artifacts and agents; (b) characterized by multiplex relationships among their components; and (c) embedded in social environments. This conceptualization places technology as an intrinsic component of online groups, and highlights the existence of multiple types of relationships among group members. It also stresses embedding contexts as a defining feature of online groups, and calls for more research attention on the interdependence between online groups and their environments.

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