Borisoff and Victor identify five steps in the conflict management process that they called the “five A’s” of conflict management − assessment, acknowledgement, attitude, action, and analysis.
● Assessment − In the assessment step, the parties involved collect real information about the problem. The parties involved also choose the appropriate conflict-handling modes and decide the central factors of the problem. They also indicate compromise-able areas, and the wants of each party.
● Acknowledgement − The acknowledgement step allows each party to hear out the other and both parties to build the empathy needed for the solution. Acknowledgement is more than just responding; it involves actively encouraging the other party to communicate.
● Attitude − In the attitude step, parties try to remove pseudo-conflict issues. Stereotypes of different, culturally-based behaviours are unearthed. Similarly, differences in communication of men and women are accepted. Generally, we can analyze problems from the styles of writing, speaking, and other nonverbal cues.
● Action − This step includes implementation of the chosen conflict-handling mode. Each individual evaluates the opposite party’s behavior to ascertain potential trouble spots. Also, each individual stays aware of his own communication style and general behavior. Finally, all parties become alert to new issues and look for productive solutions.
● Analysis − In this last step, participants decide on actions, and find the gist of what they have agreed upon. The analysis step initiates the impetus for approaching conflict management as an ongoing process.
