Knowledge Management Mechanisms are organizational or structural means used to promote knowledge management. They enable knowledge management systems, and they are themselves supported by the knowledge management infrastructure. Knowledge Management Mechanisms may (or may not) utilize technology, but they do involve some kind of organizational arrangement or social or structural means of facilitating knowledge management.

Examples of Knowledge Management Mechanisms include:

• learning by doing,
• on-the-job training,
• learning by observation, and
• face-to-face meetings.

More long-term knowledge management mechanisms include the hiring of a Chief Knowledge Officer, cooperative projects across departments, traditional hierarchical relationships, organisational policies, standards, initiation process for new employees, and employee rotation across departments.

Nick Milton explains the Push and Pull as motivators for Knowledge Management in the following video-clip: