Our approach depends on participants being led by expert facilitators skilled in real -time prompting to incorporate AI that augments the conversation, and is supported by a simple but effective technology stack that leads to results for everything from large scale collaborative co-creation convenings to everyday team meetings.
Rethinking How We Work Together
Most teams and partnerships are grappling with a shift they haven’t fully named. Meetings feel repetitive. Hybrid setups make connection difficult. AI is changing what gets delegated and what demands deeper thought. At the same time, the pressure to collaborate, across roles and organizations, is only increasing. Collaboration today is not a question of goodwill. It is a question of method. Most teams, whether internal or cross-sector, are operating with legacy structures in a new environment. Meetings occur, decisions are deferred, and partnerships struggle to find forward motion. Meanwhile, new variables—hybrid work, AI integration, and shifting expectations—are reshaping the context in which collaboration must happen. Covalent Society helps teams and partnerships respond to this shift. We offer tools, structure, and facilitation that make collaboration more purposeful and adaptive. Our work is built to support how people think, decide, and design solutions together.
Participants at the Center
Facilitators
as Guides
​
Participants at the Center
The most important element in any collaborative effort is the group itself. But that group needs support to work differently than it did a decade ago. As technology accelerates and roles evolve, participants need more than a seat at the table—they need ways to focus, connect, and co-create in real time.
We support teams in building that capacity. This includes new patterns of engagement, deliberate space for both discussion and processing, and better use of time—together and apart.
When people understand how to use time, attention, and collaboration differently, the outcomes improve: clearer strategies, more grounded decisions, and stronger follow-through.
​
Facilitators as Guides
In our model, facilitators are the navigators of group conversation. They are essential to how progress happens in a complex environment. They bring the experience to guide dialogue, surface what's emerging, and help groups stay focused while still exploring new ground. They also serve as the interface between participants and the data and tools supporting the process.
Facilitators serve a strategic function. In high-stakes discussions, cross-partner collaborations, or moments of uncertainty, a skilled facilitator ensures the group doesn’t just talk, but moves forward with clarity.
We lead these engagements directly. And when it makes sense, we help identify internal leaders with you who are well-positioned to grow into this role over time.
​
​
The Tools That Make It Work​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
Facilitation Frameworks
We draw from a broad set of facilitation methods: tested tools for building alignment, navigating disagreement, and generating ideas that stick.
​
What matters most is how they’re applied. For collaborative efforts that involve more than one team, department, or partner, an outside facilitator is often the best option. Independence brings perspective. It helps ensure equity in voice and clarity in outcome.
For teams doing early-stage work, we can support with foundational formats. But when complexity increases, we bring the structure and experience needed to manage it.
AI Augmentation
AI can reduce cognitive load, capture what matters, and reveal patterns people miss in the moment. But only if it’s used thoughtfully.
​
In our work, AI tools augment, not steer, the process. Among other things, facilitators use AI to:
-
Surface key themes in real time, highlighting what matters without interrupting flow.
-
Recall earlier insights right when they become relevant again.
-
Introduce fresh angles—metaphors, reframes, or provocations—to unlock new thinking.
-
Detect patterns like groupthink or repetition and flags them for gentle course correction.
-
Bridge solo reflection and group dialogue to build momentum and deepen alignment.
In both in-person and virtual settings, we use lightweight technology to support collaboration.
That includes simple recording tools, real-time synthesis, and digital layers that help ideas travel across formats.Right now, our tools work best in groups of five to eight.
We’re actively developing approaches for larger sessions, balancing the need for depth with the benefits of scale.In-person settings allow for richer interaction.
Our tools and facilitation methods are shaped by what the science shows: physical presence activates different brain responses, increasing attention, trust, and creativity. We design our work to tap into that potential.
Backend Technology
Moving Collaboration Forward
Covalent Society helps organizations and partnerships work through what’s next—whether that’s a strategic inflection point, a shift in structure, or a moment that requires more than business-as-usual.We bring facilitation, structure, and tools that help people do the hard parts of collaboration more easily, and do the creative parts more often.Whether you’re leading a team, building a new partnership, or helping others work together across difference, we can support the conversation that unlocks your next step.