Accommodation or Compromise?

Like Ada, I got question #23 wrong on my midterm exam. To recap, the question asked: "Someone who is concerned about meeting their own needs as well as the needs of others is managing their conflict through ______." The possible responses were: A) Accommodation, B) Compromise, C) Avoidance, or D) Integration. While I, too, automatically ruled out choices C and D, I found myself torn between accommodation and compromise, because they had the same connotations in my mind. I ended up choosing accommodation when the right answer was really compromise.

After I received my midterm back, I thought it was worth clarifying what the real distinction between the two terms is. I learned that accommodation means "adjusting to the circumstances in order to come to a harmonious agreement or decision" whereas compromise entails "both or all parties involved making concessions or giving up some or all of a demand in order to settle differences." Through the definitions, I was able to realize that accommodation does not necessarily take into consideration the demands of everyone involved in the decision-making, whereas compromise allows for negotiation and a final decision that satisfies everyone.

The content after time mark 1:24 on this YouTube video also helped elucidate the differences between these two types of conflict management.

Photo courtesy of Mark Stivers.