Abstract (EN)

There is a lack of knowledge on whether measuring can help multiple organizations build common grounds in extreme situations. This mixed- method research addresses this gap by approaching measuring as an organizational practice and focusing on measure interpretation and communication. It examines the evolution of measuring practice across 3 interrelated organizational systems during the first Covid wave in France. From press data and formal statements, we qualitatively coded 308 verbatims expressing measures related to masks management in the 27 first weeks of 2020. Thanks to data quantification and visualization, we identified four measuring practices: clarifying, putting on guard, enthusiastic tracking and accounting. Overall, the measuring practices diverged across the systems. Some systems, though, tended to partially converge at some periods. At others they tended to frame divergent if not dissonant representations of reality. These findings highlight measuring as a diversified and evolutive organizational practice in extreme situations. They contribute to the literature on extreme situation by nuancingcommonly held conceptions of measuring and common grounds.