Organizational Metaphors as Lenses for Analyzing the Roles of Middleware in Practice

The ability to provide integration between business functions supported across multiple applications is a critical need for modern organizations. Middleware connects people, processes, systems, and technologies to ensure that the right person and processes get the right information at the right time to ensure optimal performance. However, problems often emerge from inadequate plan for integrating different legacy systems or otherwise. The purpose of this paper is to analyze middleware based on contemporary organizational theory for better understanding of this technology in organizational context. The paper attempts to identify the possible socially constructed metaphoric roles middleware plays in an organization, created by its users who are influenced and affected by its use. The newly conceptualized metaphors for middleware are used to analyze four case studies. The findings enhance the understanding of middleware in the context of its users and organizations and call for research directions that encompass a broader view of middleware.