This study aims to identify critical elements in Knowledge Management in companies in the second and third sectors of the economy of the region of Campos Gerais, Paraná, Brazil. This is a cross-sectional survey. The sample consisted of 191 workers. To collect the data, a social scale developed by Terra (1999) was used. It was found that the critical elements are, in order of relevance: human resource management; organizational structure; organizational culture and values; information and communication systems; learning through the environment; strategic factors; the role of senior management, and the measurement of results. It is concluded that for most organizations to reach the condition of a learning organization several critical elements need to be overcome