Teleworking, Team Work and Transactive Memory during the COVID-19 Outbreak

The paper discusses the work from home (WFH) phenomenon during the Covid-19 pandemic and aspects related to teamwork performance for the case of companies operating in Romania in knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS). The paper presents the results of an exploratory investigation based on semi-structured in-depth interviews addressing the effects induced by the intensive WFH on teamwork, teamwork performance, and transactive memory systems (TMS) in the investigated KIBS, during the Covid-19 pandemic. The paper is divided into three parts. The first part presents the purpose of the investigation and the context, introducing the concepts and literature. The second part presents the research method and findings. The third part discusses the research results, indicating that the mandatory WFH imposed by the Covid-19 outbreak has disrupted the coordination between teammates, eroding TMS operation and the level of teamwork performance. The paper concludes on the strong link between teamwork performance during the mandatory WFH period and the presence of TMS reflected by specialization, credibility, and coordination within the team.