Get the (Icy Strait) Point: Part 2 of 2

 

In part 1 of this post I discussed in general the background of the indigenous people of western Canada and southeast Alaska. With that background in mind, consider the Huna Totem Corporation.   And consider the concept of a Social Sustainable Environmental Enterprise (SSEE).  We’re going to look at one in particular.  You guessed it: Icy Strait Point of Hoonah, Alaska.  See photo below.

Icy Strait Point - Hoonah, Alaska

An SSEE is defined as an innovative enterprise that has dynamic operational strategies while still maintaining its corporate core values and integrating social, environmental, cultural, economic and political.

The concept of an SSEE is explained quite well in this paper,  “Aboriginal Tourism as Sustainable Social-Environmental Enterprise (SSEE): A Tlingit Case Study from Southeast Alaska”,  from the International Indigenous Policy Journal which uses the Huna Totem Corporation  of Hoonah, Alaska, as an example.  We’ve put a reference to the paper at the bottom and have attained direct permission from the authors to use sections of it in this post.

 From the paper:
In 2011, the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO, 2011) set three broad goals toward achieving (sustainable tourism): environmental protection, social justice, and economic prosperity. These goals are commensurate with the triple bottom line (TBL) approach to sustainable enterprise introduced more than a decade ago (Elkington, 1998). However, when applying the concept of sustainability, it is important not to do so within a static framework that assumes conditions are stable, predictable, and controllable. The concept of sustainability in business practice needs to be applicable to changing environmental and market conditions. Furthermore, they noted that people have different ways of interpreting sustainability; thus, a viable sustainability framework should allow for interpretation and adaptation to various sociocultural and environmental contexts.

So now, let’s look at Icy Strait Point, the SSEE example, and some background behind it.  Using the “Begin with the End in Mind” philosophy of Stephen Covey, you may choose to watch this video first:

In addition to the video, there is this brief description from the paper:

In attempt to create a new cruise tourism destination, HTC (Huna Totem Corporation) co-developed Icy Strait Point (ISP) with a private investor, opening the tourist facility in the 2004 on the northeast shore of Chichagof Island, just north of Hoonah village. In addition to being among the largest Native villages in the region, Hoonah is the closest village to Juneau by ferry and air transport (39 miles), and is also positioned at the gateway to Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve (22 miles northwest), a major cruise ship destination. HTC owns substantial lands adjacent to the village and the old fish-canning site that was chosen to redevelop as ISP. Aboriginal tourism held the potential to buffer declines in commercial fishing, seafood processing, and timber production, which had anchored employment in the village in the late twentieth century. By its ninth season in 2012, ISP had 63 cruise ship calls from 6 different cruise lines—Celebrity, Royal, Holland America, Regent Seven Seas, The World, and American Cruise Lines—carrying more than 120,000 guests (Icy Strait Point, 2012).  

 
Here is the vision statement from Huna Totem, because in and of itself, here are lessons for managers and project managers in particular.  This is a good example of a vision statement structure.  From the Huna Totem Corporation’s home page:
Our new Vision has three parts:

• The Vision Statement expresses an inspiring future direction for Huna Totem. It is deliberately aspirational and far-reaching in order to motivate the highest levels of performance and achievement by the organization and its people.
• The Mission Statement expresses how we will achieve this Vision. The actions (business excellence, sustainable economic growth, leadership, and education) outlined in the Mission Statement drive the business objectives and strategic plan that will guide the organization over the next 5-10 years.
• The Guiding Principles summarize the non-negotiable, inviolate values 

And here is the vision statement itself:

Vision
We envision a future where the economic and cultural achievements of the Xúna Kaawu are recognized as the standard of excellence in the advancement of Native People.

Mission
To advance the economic aspirations and culture of the Xúna Kaawu through business excellence, sustainable economic growth, leadership, and education.

Guiding Principles

• Maintain our land in perpetuity.
• Take pride in our past and value the wisdom of our elders.
• Foster woosh jee een  (working together) and diversity of thought.
• Perpetuate our culture and land through prudent stewardship.
• Grow a healthy, diversified business that is transparent, innovative, and self-sustaining.
• Continually think ahead and act on behalf of future generations.
• Improve opportunity for all our people.
• Show respect, integrity, and be self-accountable. 

In addition to the vision, the Huna Totem Corporation works within a framework shown below.  We highly recommend reading the paper to gain insight on this framework, which, while developed for sustainable tourism, can be applied to many practice areas.

The SSEE framework - featuring the five dimensions of sustainability.
Here are the factors in the framework that are critical to the niche and overall well-being of an Indigenous enterprise. Sustainability emanates from the core values and is subject to disruption from various forces both within and beyond the sector.    

What are the takeaways for project managers?

1.    The principles for a Social Sustainable Environmental Enterprise do not only have to be for enterprises which have – as their main mission – sustainability in mind.  These green-by-definition projects, as we described in our book Green Project Management, provide lessons for any kind of project, even a new accounting system software upgrade.
2.    The care and intensity that the Huna Totem Corporation put into their vision statement paid off with an organization that we found firsthand runs smoothly and stays true to its intent
3.    Take advantage of the wisdom of the SSEE framework, which apply in practice areas beyond sustainable tourism
4.    The concept of woosh jee een is a valuable one for any project

NOTE: Some of our readers may have noted the Tlingit words in our post.  For the linguists among you, if you want more information about this fascinating language, see this reference which provides definitions of key Tlingit words.
 

Reference for article, 
Wanasuk, P. , Thornton, T. F. (2015). Aboriginal Tourism as Sustainable Social-Environmental Enterprise (SSEE): A Tlingit Case Study from Southeast Alaska. The International Indigenous Policy Journal, 6(4) . Retrieved from: http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/iipj/vol6/iss4/8DOI: 10.18584/iipj.2015.6.4.8