Applying TSRDM framework to Charité´s Fast Follower IT Strategy - Bridging Translational Gaps of Digital Transformation

Abstract

This paper applies the Translational Service Research and Design Methodology (TSRDM) to Charité - University Medicine’s fast‑follower IT strategy, which aims to transform the organization into a digital, connected, adaptive, and learning university hospital. Charité positions digitalization as an enabler for improving care quality, patient experience, and staff relief - not as an end in itself - yet faces pronounced translational gaps between technological potential and realized value in practice. The study conceptualizes two core gaps in Charité’s digital transformation: the “technology‑to‑solution” gap and the “solution‑to‑value” gap.Using TSRDM’s eight‑step process, the research develops a service‑based knowledge base grounded in Service‑Dominant Logic, Service Science, and Service‑Dominant Architecture. It introduces a unifying service language and SDA‑based patterns that map services onto generic systems of interaction, participation, operant resources, data, and institutions, translating abstract service theory into reusable translational services, design principles, and platform architectures.Findings demonstrate how TSRDM systematically derives service concepts and translational services that address interoperability challenges for the technology‑to‑solution gap and enhance value‑in‑use, stakeholder engagement, and closed‑loop learning for the solution‑to‑value gap. By operationalizing Charité’s fast‑follower orientation, TSRDM enables the hospital to move from isolated “digital islands” to a scalable portfolio of interoperable, platform‑based digital services that can be rapidly adopted and adapted across contexts. The study concludes that TSRDM not only analyzes but actively strengthens Charité’s fast‑follower strategy by bridging translational gaps and advancing human‑centered digital innovation and well‑being.

Keywords: Fast-follower-strategy, Translational Gaps, Interoperability, Service Platform, Service Dominant Architecture

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1007712