臺大管理論叢 NTU Management Review VOL.29 NO.3

195 NTU Management Review Vol. 29 No. 3 Dec. 2019 The theoretical underpinnings of our framework are based on the theory of optimism and pessimism. This theory states that people’s actions are influenced by their positive and negative expectations about the consequences of those actions (Scheier and Carver, 1985, 1992). Researchers have examined both trait and state effects of optimism and pessimism (Luthans, 2002; Youssef and Luthans, 2007). Optimism is the tendency to believe that one will generally experience good outcomes in life, whereas pessimism is the tendency to believe that one will generally experience bad outcomes in life (Scheier and Carver, 1985, 1992). The theory of optimism and pessimism has been extensively studied in the psychological and organizational context (Adler and Matthews, 1994; George, 1991; Kluemper, Little, and DeGroot, 2009; Peterson, 2000; Scheier and Carver, 1992). For instance, optimism is related to health, stress reduction, and coping strategies, while pessimism is related to anger, anxiety, and depression (Keltner, Ellsworth, and Edwards, 1993; Luthans, 2002; Peterson, 2000; Scheier, Weintraub, and Carver, 1986). Organizational research has also shown that optimism is related to job satisfaction (Al-Mashaan, 2003), sales (Rich, 1999), task performance (Kluemper et al., 2009), leadership (Chemers, Watson, and May, 2000), and other organizational-related variables. Based on the theory of optimism and pessimism (Scheier and Carver, 1992; Seligman, 2002) and according to the extensive literature review on the predictors of career success (Judge, Higgins, Thoresen, and Barrick, 1999; Ng, Eby, Sorensen, and Feldman, 2005) and glass ceiling beliefs (Smith, Crittenden, et al., 2012), we combine the Big Five personality traits, glass ceiling beliefs, and career success to better understand the mechanisms and barriers involved in women’s career growth. We argue that women’s glass ceiling beliefs mediate between personality traits and their subjective career success. Personality traits remain stable over time, and beliefs are likely to change (Judge et al., 1999; Smith, Crittenden, et al., 2012). Therefore, we assume that women’s personality traits can cause optimistic and pessimistic beliefs in organizations. We believe our study will help deepen the understanding of the glass ceiling phenomenon and barriers involved in women’s career advancement. The remainder of the article is organized as follows. First, we review the literature on the constructs of Big Five personality traits, glass ceiling beliefs, and subjective career success. Second, we explain the relationship between women’s personality traits, glass ceiling beliefs, and subjective career success. Third, we describe how glass ceiling beliefs mediate the relationship between women’s personality traits and their subjective career success. Finally, we discuss the theoretical and practical implications of the study.