Objective: Public sector organizations often struggle with learning and efficiency due to rigid hierarchical structures and bureaucratic inertia. While team identification has been linked to positive outcomes, the cognitive mechanisms—specifically Transactive Memory Systems (TMS)—through which it promotes learning remain underexplored in non-Western public-sector contexts. Thus, this study examined the mediating role of TMS, treated as a unidimensional construct, in the relationship between team identification and team learning within Human Resource Management (HRM) teams in Iranian public sector organizations. Method: This study used a cross-sectional quantitative design and stratified random sampling. Data were collected from 378 employees nested within 72 HRM teams working in public sector organizations in Tehran, Iran. Team members completed validated self-report measures assessing team identification, TMS, and team learning. Data were analyzed using path analysis, controlling for team size, team tenure, task interdependence, and team leader support. Results: The findings provided strong support for the proposed model. Team identification was found to have a significant positive influence on the development of a unified TMS. Furthermore, TMS significantly fostered team learning. Results confirmed that TMS partially mediates the relationship between team identification and team learning. Additionally, team identification maintained a significant direct positive effect on team learning, indicating that both motivational and cognitive pathways are essential for collective learning. Conclusions: This study identifies team identification as a critical social antecedent of TMS and extends the generalizability of these relationships to the non-Western public sector context. The findings provide practical implications for Iranian public-sector HR managers. Specifically, it is suggested that beyond formal bureaucratic controls, fostering team identification and strengthening shared cognitive structures within HRM teams can enhance team learning, adaptability, and overall organizational effectiveness in public sector settings.
