According to Ogbum and Nimkoff: 

“Accommodation is a term used by the sociologists to describe the adjustment of hostile individuals or groups”.

Maclver says that “the term Accommodation refers particularly to the process in which man attains a sense of harmony with his environment.

Characteristics of Accommodation:

Accommodation is the natural result of Conflict: Since conflicts cannot take place continuously they involved in conflict do not relish the sense of conflict they sit down for it settlement. Such settlements temporary or permanent may be called “Accommodation” in the absence of conflict the question of arriving at accommodation does not arise.

Accommodation may be a conscious or an unconscious: Man’s adjustment with the social environment is mostly unconscious. From birth to death man to be behave in conformity with the normative order. The new born individual learns to accommodate himself with the social order which is dedicated by various norms such as customs, morals, traditions etc. Thus, unconsciously the new born individual accommodation himself with his family, caste or race, neighborhood. Life is full of such unconscious accommodative activities

Accommodation is Universal: Accommodation as a ‘condition’ and as a ‘process’ is universal. Human society is composed to antagonistic elements and hence conflicts are inevitable. Since no society becomes necessary. Thus accommodation is found in all societies and in all fields of social life.

Accommodation is continuous: The process of accommodation is not confined to any particular stage in the life of an individual. It is not limited to any fixed social situation also. On the contrary, throughout the life one has to accommodate oneself with various situations, further, as and when conflicts take place sooner or later accommodation would follow not only the individuals but also the groups within the society are obliged to accommodate among themselves.

The effects of accommodation may vary with the circumstances: It may act to reduce the conflict between persons or groups as an initial step towards assimilation. It may serve to postpone outright conflict for a specific period of time, as in a treaty between nations or labor.

Management agreement. It may permit groups marked by sharp social-psychological distance to get along together. It may prove to be beneficial for the parties involved in it. Sometimes it may help the superior or more powerful party to party to impose it on the weaker party.

Methods of Accommodations:

Accommodation arrangements between groups or individuals take variety of forms, Gillin have mentioned. They are:

Yielding to coercion: Coercion involves the use of force or the threat of force for making the weaker party to accept the conditions of agreement. This can take place when the parties are of unequal strength in wars the victorious nation imposes its will on the vanquished. Various political dictatorship are also instances of coercive accommodation in which a strong minority group which seizes political power imposes its will on the masses.

Compromise: When the contending parties are almost equal in power they attain accommodation by means of compromise. In compromise each party to the dispute makes some concessions and yields to some demand of the other. The “all or nothing” attitudes gives way to willingness to give up certain points in order to gain others. Certain international agreements and management labour agreements on wages, hours of work are example of compromise.

The role of third party in compromise:

Arbitration: When the contending parties themselves are not able to resolve their differences they may resort to arbitration. Arbitration is a device for bringing about compromise in which a third party tries to bring about an end to the conflict. Here the decision of the third party is binding on both the parties. Labour management disputes some political disputes are often resolved in this way.

Mediation: Mediation is more akin to arbitration. This involves the introduction into the conflict of a neutral agent whose efforts are directed towards bringing about a peaceful settlement. But the mediator has no power to settle the conflict as but the mediator has no power to settle the conflict as such for his decisions are not binding on the parties.

Conciliation: Closely related to compromise is conciliation. This is an attempt to persuade the disputants to develop friendship and come to an agreement. Conciliation has been used in industrial, racial and religious struggles. Conciliation implies a milder response to an opponent than coercion. In the end conciliation, like toleration opens the door to assimilation.

Toleration: It is another form of accommodation in which the conflict are avoided rather than settled or resolved. Toleration is an outgrowth of the “live and let-live” policy. It is a form of accommodation without formal agreements. Here there is no settlements of difference but there is only the avoidance of over conflict. Each group tries to bear with the others. The groups realized that their differences are irreconcilable. Hence they decided to coexist with their differences. Racial groups castes political parties wedded to mutually opposite ideologies.

Conversion: This form of accommodation involves a sudden rejection of one’s beliefs, convictions and loyalties context to refer to one’s conversion into some other religion. This concept is now used in the literary, artistic, economic and political fields.

Sublimation: Adjustments by means of sublimation involves the substitution of non-aggressive attitudes and activates for aggressive ones. It may take place at the individual as well as at the group level. The method suggested by Gandhiji and most of the religious prophets to conquer violence and hatred by nonviolence, love and compassion is that of sublimation.

Rationalization: This involves excuses or explanations for one’s behavior. One is not prepared to acknowledge one’s failure or defects for its may indicate guilt or the need for change. Hence one blames other for one’s own fault. By ascribing one’s failure to others instead of accepting one’s own defects, one can retain self-respect.