By doing so, intermediation ensures a much more efficient transfer of knowledge. Externalization refers to the transfer of knowledge from the minds of its holders into an external repository, in the most efficient way possible. The function of externalization is to provide for the sharing of knowledge. Internalization is the extraction of knowledge from the external repository, and the filtering of this knowledge to provide greater relevance to the knowledge seeker. Knowledge should be presented to the user in the form most suitable to its comprehension.
Cognition is the function of systems to make decisions based on available knowledge.
Cognition is the application of knowledge which has been exchanged through the preceding three functions. Measurement refers to all Knowledge Management activities which measure, map and quantify corporate knowledge and the performance of Knowledge Management solutions. This function acts to support the other four functions, rather than to actually manage the knowledge itself. While much of the attention focused on knowledge management currently takes the form of theorizing and discussion, it is important to realize that increasing numbers of companies have moved beyond this point and are actually taking concrete steps towards developing a corporate knowledge management solution. Indeed, in a recent survey conducted by The Delphi Group, the majority of users and evaluators of knowledge management reported that the greatest imminent form that knowledge management takes is in organizing and using existing corporate information.