Perceived organizational values and innovation: The role of transactive memory and age diversity in military teams

This study investigates the mediating role of transactive memory system (TMS) in the relationship between perception of innovation value (VIN) and team innovation, as well as the moderating effect of age diversity for the TMS – team innovation relationship. The study of this moderated-mediation model concerning VIN, TMS, and team diversity as a contextual factor, is especially relevant in military teams which are directly concerned by military values, have high needs of effective coordination, and naturally are composed by young soldiers working with older leaders. To test our model, we evaluated 453 employees composing 48 military units from Italy’s Air Force. Results confirmed that VIN is positively related to TMS, and that the latter has a positive effect on team innovation except at high levels of age diversity where the effect is reduced and non-significant. These findings highlight the importance of identifying and managing age differences, sharing common and distributed expertise, and promoting innovative initiatives in the military. Theoretical backgrounds, results, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.