Knowledge management is an effective system to efficiently harness the knowledge competency of companies to improve business operations and productivity. Knowledge management success can be measured if companies could implement sufficient information architectures to be used by its knowledge workers. The captured knowledge then could be utilized to raise corporate performance. To ensure success, companies need to follow certain basic principles that serve as framework of an effective knowledge management system.

First, companies must not treat knowledge management as a technological innovation. More than the software and programs to capture important data and intelligence, knowledge management involve corporate culture change and discipline. Old practices need to be discarded to pave the way for new management systems. This alone needs discipline on the part of management and the workforce. The change also involves important business process reorientation.

Second, companies must not limit the leadership of knowledge management to a single manager. There should be several knowledge champions for every business process or departments. This redistribution of knowledge leadership will enhance information sharing. It will also create faster channels of communication which is essential for knowledge management.

Third, companies must learn how to incorporate knowledge management in their existing information systems. It is not productive to scrap several knowledge systems and replace it with a new one. What companies should do is to enrich current systems with the practice of knowledge management. In this way, no major dislocation will occur.

These basic principles of knowledge management success are essential in order to effectively create favorable environments to further the development of business processes.