What is the Rothko-effect and how can you avoid it?

The Rothko-effect is something I see a lot at work. It is the assumption that because something looks simple then producing it must have been easy. That anyone could do it. 

Mark Rothko was an abstract painter who lived in the first half of the 20th Century. His work, like many others of that time, appeared deceptively simple to the viewer. Large blocks of colour painted on top of large blocks of colour.  The work was intended to and indeed does, evoke an emotional reaction from its audience. 

Yet, its perception of simplicity is deceptive.  You think: “I could do that.” Or “my child could do better.”  And while not wanting to diminish the hard artistic efforts of any children, when you do try to recreate the painting, it doesn’t come out quite right. 

The colours don’t work quite the same. There is a depth missing because there are invisible details in the original that you can’t see or replicate. 

And you suddenly find it is not as simple as you first perceived. 

Perception is where we fall into the trap of the Rothko-effect. 

As Michael Michalko, creativity expert said:

“perception is demonstrably an active rather than a passive process; it constructs rather than records reality.” 

When we perceive the end-product to be simple, we actively construct the process of getting to that end product as also being simple. 

It’s a bit like an iceberg. We only see the small bit at the top. That’s the finished outcome. The painting, the book, or work that we’ve produced, that we share with the outside world, that’s the top of the iceberg. 

What we don’t see is what is happening underneath the water. All of that mass represents the mistakes, the testing, experience, the parts of the process that have informed and shaped the final outcome. Without this unseen work, what happens at the top wouldn’t be quite so impressive. 

We think we see the reality of something as easy and simple but we are missing the hidden work that has gone into producing it. In the same way we see the work of Rothko.  The finished painting doesn’t tell you that Rothko left his Yale degree and went to New York so he could study under a professor more experienced in his area of interest. Or that he developed his work as part of a collective of artists. And at the time they were using the experiences coming out of Europe as a new way of looking at what art meant to him. 

Practising his skill took time and dedication. Only his experience could produce those works. In the same way, only your experience and skillset can produce your work. 

Some of the work we do can seem deceptively simple at times but there is always a greater depth to it that is working under the surface. This is where the change truly happens, the simple-looking fun stuff facilitates it. 

 And much like the abstract expressionists of the early 20th century, we also work in a collective. Meaning our clients get the benefit from our collective experience. 

We also know from experience that when you are inside a company culture, looking at the complexity of teams, you don’t always see the obvious. The sorts of things you’d kick yourself for not doing. Common sense stuff like starting a conversation with people. 

Again, common sense can often be perceived as simplicity but what is obvious to one person, is not so much to another. That doesn’t mean they lack the sense but that they are approaching it from a different perspective, a different reality. 

If we go back to that Rothko painting again, it is the hidden depths that reveal its true beauty. In the same way, it is the hidden experiences of your team members that create a powerful working whole. It’s being able to bring all of these different backgrounds, cultures and experiences together to work in their best possible way that is the real skill here. 

And much like a Rothko painting, if done well it could and should evoke some powerful emotions. 

So how do you avoid the Rothko-effect? 

People who really understand groups quickly and help with behaviour change with ease have spent years and years getting to the point they make it look easy, even though they seem to be talking nothing more than simple common sense. That is a skill you need to value. Hang on to them. Lock them in a room and do not let them go. They are worth their weight in people change gold.

And the next time you think ‘this is too easy, I could do that’, take a step back and consider if your reality is constructed from evidence (such as your skills, training and experience) or from your perception of the finished thing. Else you might be missing out on some vital hidden depths. 

Making Change Happen is a collective of like-minded change agents, coaches and psychologists. We help organisations manage change, working with them to adopt new mindsets and behaviours. In short, we give them a different way of working, and help make teams the best they can be. We do this through conversation, away days and learning programmes.