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“ In chaordic organisations , the job of leaders is to inspire people by creating a compelling sense of mission and purpose ”
Gary Robinson Co-manager of the Baillie Gifford US Growth Trust and the Baillie Gifford American Fund
which Baillie Gifford has also invested in , is another exemplar . Its founder , Jeff Lawson , talks of giving developers “ guardrails ”. The idea being to communicate shared vision and purpose , with rules used to encourage autonomy rather than as a control mechanism . “ Without guardrails , people won ’ t know how to make decisions , and leaders will tend to second-guess them constantly ,” Lawson wrote in his book Ask Your Developer . “ By creating rules , you paradoxically set people free – in the space between guardrails .” Robinson suggests that Baillie Gifford itself is a chaordic organisation . Its investors share a common belief about taking long-term five- to ten-year perspectives when making decisions . This adds value for clients , helps support the companies it takes stakes in , and benefits society as a whole . “ I think one of the strengths of Baillie Gifford is that when a team comes
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