Deduction versus Induction

I've long been interested in cognitive processes - how people think.  Its clear, people think differently and this difference can be an advantage or a road block depending on how it plays out.

In particular, I'm interested in how technical minds (lets call them "engineers") think differently than non-technical minds (lets call them "business managers").  This fundamental difference show up in many places, mostly in areas where these two types of people get together to do something, like launch a new product.  Engineers and Business Managers sit down at the table coming from very different perspectives.

How do Engineers and Business Managers think differently?  I posed the question to a friend, Chris DeMarco who is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Wisconsin. He thought for a moment then offered that engineers are problem solvers at heart and value single-point problem solving (the very best, single answer) while business managers are market-solvers (the best range of answers given a particular situation).

It may be the classic dichotomy of deductive versus inductive thinking.  Deductive thinking is often referred to as "top down" thinking, starting with theory > hypothesis > observation > confirmation - the last step being important because it provides specific assurance.

Inductive thinking is "bottom up" starting with observation > pattern > hypothesis > theory - the last step being a possible larger explanation.

It may seem that deductive reasoning is the stronger skill because of its definitive end point.  However, deductive reasoning is a contained argument, bounded by the limits of the original theory.  Consider ... what is the best pattern for arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic?  Deductive thinking can arrive at a specific and very wrong conclusion.

The correct answer is, of course ... both.  Situations where thinking can easily range from inductive thinking to deductive back to inductive then deductive probably produces the best results and this might make some very interesting PhD research. The problem may be "easily range."  People acquire success in life using specific skills - engineers solving problems, business managers catching trends.  They favor one skill set over the other and may not easily switch, particularly mid-task.

My sense is that awareness of differences is probably the first step.  How would this connect to the OGSP process?  Vision/Inductive, Mission/Deductive, Objective/Inductive, Goals/Deductive, Strategy/Inductive, Plans/Deductive? 

What do you think?