diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/netconf/__init__.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/netconf/__init__.py
index 9605877642d..518fbee300c 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/netconf/__init__.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/netconf/__init__.py
@@ -103,9 +103,11 @@ class NetconfBase(with_metaclass(ABCMeta, object)):
            :name: Name of rpc in string format"""
         try:
             obj = to_ele(to_bytes(name, errors='surrogate_or_strict'))
-            return self.m.rpc(obj).data_xml
+            resp = self.m.rpc(obj)
+            return resp.data_xml if hasattr(resp, 'data_xml') else resp.xml
         except RPCError as exc:
-            raise Exception(to_xml(exc.xml))
+            msg = exc.data_xml if hasattr(exc, 'data_xml') else exc.xml
+            raise Exception(to_xml(msg))
 
     @ensure_connected
     def get_config(self, *args, **kwargs):
@@ -113,7 +115,8 @@ class NetconfBase(with_metaclass(ABCMeta, object)):
            :source: name of the configuration datastore being queried
            :filter: specifies the portion of the configuration to retrieve
            (by default entire configuration is retrieved)"""
-        return self.m.get_config(*args, **kwargs).data_xml
+        resp = self.m.get_config(*args, **kwargs)
+        return resp.data_xml if hasattr(resp, 'data_xml') else resp.xml
 
     @ensure_connected
     def get(self, *args, **kwargs):
@@ -121,7 +124,8 @@ class NetconfBase(with_metaclass(ABCMeta, object)):
         *filter* specifies the portion of the configuration to retrieve
         (by default entire configuration is retrieved)
         """
-        return self.m.get(*args, **kwargs).data_xml
+        resp = self.m.get(*args, **kwargs)
+        return resp.data_xml if hasattr(resp, 'data_xml') else resp.xml
 
     @ensure_connected
     def edit_config(self, *args, **kwargs):
@@ -135,7 +139,8 @@ class NetconfBase(with_metaclass(ABCMeta, object)):
             :error_option: if specified must be one of { `"stop-on-error"`, `"continue-on-error"`, `"rollback-on-error"` }
             The `"rollback-on-error"` *error_option* depends on the `:rollback-on-error` capability.
         """
-        return self.m.edit_config(*args, **kwargs).xml
+        resp = self.m.edit_config(*args, **kwargs)
+        return resp.data_xml if hasattr(resp, 'data_xml') else resp.xml
 
     @ensure_connected
     def validate(self, *args, **kwargs):
@@ -143,7 +148,8 @@ class NetconfBase(with_metaclass(ABCMeta, object)):
         :source: is the name of the configuration datastore being validated or `config`
         element containing the configuration subtree to be validated
         """
-        return self.m.validate(*args, **kwargs).xml
+        resp = self.m.validate(*args, **kwargs)
+        return resp.data_xml if hasattr(resp, 'data_xml') else resp.xml
 
     @ensure_connected
     def copy_config(self, *args, **kwargs):
@@ -152,27 +158,31 @@ class NetconfBase(with_metaclass(ABCMeta, object)):
         :source: is the name of the configuration datastore to use as the source of the
                  copy operation or `config` element containing the configuration subtree to copy
         :target: is the name of the configuration datastore to use as the destination of the copy operation"""
-        return self.m.copy_config(*args, **kwargs).xml
+        resp = self.m.copy_config(*args, **kwargs)
+        return resp.data_xml if hasattr(resp, 'data_xml') else resp.xml
 
     @ensure_connected
     def lock(self, *args, **kwargs):
         """Allows the client to lock the configuration system of a device.
         *target* is the name of the configuration datastore to lock
         """
-        return self.m.lock(*args, **kwargs).xml
+        resp = self.m.lock(*args, **kwargs)
+        return resp.data_xml if hasattr(resp, 'data_xml') else resp.xml
 
     @ensure_connected
     def unlock(self, *args, **kwargs):
         """Release a configuration lock, previously obtained with the lock operation.
         :target: is the name of the configuration datastore to unlock
         """
-        return self.m.unlock(*args, **kwargs).xml
+        resp = self.m.unlock(*args, **kwargs)
+        return resp.data_xml if hasattr(resp, 'data_xml') else resp.xml
 
     @ensure_connected
     def discard_changes(self, *args, **kwargs):
         """Revert the candidate configuration to the currently running configuration.
         Any uncommitted changes are discarded."""
-        return self.m.discard_changes(*args, **kwargs).xml
+        resp = self.m.discard_changes(*args, **kwargs)
+        return resp.data_xml if hasattr(resp, 'data_xml') else resp.xml
 
     @ensure_connected
     def commit(self, *args, **kwargs):
@@ -186,23 +196,27 @@ class NetconfBase(with_metaclass(ABCMeta, object)):
         :confirmed: whether this is a confirmed commit
         :timeout: specifies the confirm timeout in seconds
         """
-        return self.m.commit(*args, **kwargs).xml
+        resp = self.m.commit(*args, **kwargs)
+        return resp.data_xml if hasattr(resp, 'data_xml') else resp.xml
 
     @ensure_connected
     def validate(self, *args, **kwargs):
         """Validate the contents of the specified configuration.
            :source: name of configuration data store"""
-        return self.m.validate(*args, **kwargs).xml
+        resp = self.m.validate(*args, **kwargs)
+        return resp.data_xml if hasattr(resp, 'data_xml') else resp.xml
 
     @ensure_connected
     def get_schema(self, *args, **kwargs):
         """Retrieves the required schema from the device
         """
-        return self.m.get_schema(*args, **kwargs).xml
+        resp = self.m.get_schema(*args, **kwargs)
+        return resp.data_xml if hasattr(resp, 'data_xml') else resp.xml
 
     @ensure_connected
     def locked(self, *args, **kwargs):
-        return self.m.locked(*args, **kwargs)
+        resp = self.m.locked(*args, **kwargs)
+        return resp.data_xml if hasattr(resp, 'data_xml') else resp.xml
 
     @abstractmethod
     def get_capabilities(self):