This paper has not undergone formal review or approval of the faculty of the ILR School. It is intended to make results of Center research available to others interested in preliminary form to encourage discussion and suggestions. Page 2In The Trenches At The Talent Wars CAHRS WP03-05 In this study, I attempted to extend strategic human resource management theory by developing and testing a model of inter-firm competition for human resources. Using the phenomenon of talent raiding as a vehicle to test the model, I examined how degree of threat and firm capability affected firms ’ propensities to respond to rivals ’ actions. Results suggest that attributes of the raiding firm, attributes of the raided human capital, and attributes of the target firm were associated with target firms ’ propensity to defend or retaliate in response to a successful talent raid. The findings have implications for a tactical theory of human resource management and the origins of intra-firm differences in human resource systems.