The Other WTO: Using Toilet Humour to Facilitate Global Access to Toilets

When Jack Sim turned 40, it was the height of the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, which had decimated half his wealth. The Singaporean entrepreneur found himself wanting to live a more meaningful life, and decided to devote his remaining years to promoting the need for clean sanitation. He first set up the Restroom Association of Singapore (RAS), and buoyed by its success, he went on to found the World Toilet Organization (WTO).

Given that the topic of sanitation is awkward and not one to generate interest among the public at large, Sim opted to use humour, specifically toilet humour, to attract attention and gather support for his cause. In the process, he often drew upon his expertise as a consummate salesman to persuade people to agree with him that clean toilets could be a status symbol – not unlike branded handbags.

Sim also found that in trying to enlist governments to aid his movement, he had to understand how bureaucrats work and tailor his strategies accordingly, such that the probability of getting their support would be raised. But while he had perfected the art of using humour to make the unsanitary topic as commonplace and ordinary as the weather, with the world still buffeted by COVID-19, the Ukraine war, and sky-rocketing inflation, how could he continue to sustain people’s interest in this cause?

This case is intended for use in MBA and Executive courses on engagement, persuasion and negotiation in business. The case discussion should enable the students to grasp how stakeholder analysis and engagement are conducted and how stakeholders can be incentivised to embrace a cause, recognise how humour can be used to engage and persuade stakeholders, understand why humour can be a useful tool to further a cause, and apply the process of stakeholder analysis and engagement to a given scenario.

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