James Porter Baughman (1936-) was a professor of business history at the Harvard Business School and later served as director of Crotonville, The General Electric Company's management development institute in Ossining, New York. Baughman was born August 8, 1936 in Houston, Texas, and earned his undergraduate degree at Rice University in 1957. After graduating from Rice, Baughman attended Tulane University in New Orleans, where he earned his Master of Arts and PhD in history and economics. He became an instructor at Tulane University from 1958 to 1961, and briefly taught at the University of Houston before receiving a teaching position at Harvard University in 1962, where he remained until 1980. During his tenure there, Baughman worked as a consultant for a vast array of public and private firms, including IBM, AT+T, and J. P. Morgan. Baughman was invited to become President of the Iranian Center for Management Studies and lectured at major universities throughout the United States. He also authored several books and articles on the subject of current and future business management.

Following his tenure at Harvard, Baughman was named director of Crotonville, General Electric’s management development institute in Ossining, New York. According to GE CEO John Welch, Crotonville was the “most successful educational management program ever seen.” "The Pit" at Crotonville, an amphitheater seating one hundred business managers, became a highly praised program in which future leaders of major companies participated. Crotonville was one of the most successful inventions produced by General Electric. Accordingly, Baughman traveled worldwide to lecture and teach business management. Following his years at General Electric, Baughman was named Corporate Head of Leadership and Organizational Development at J. P. Morgan + Co.