Evidence from numerous countries indicates that many “governance systems” are not fit for purpose under contemporary circumstances. Symptoms of governance deficit vary across policy domains and scales (from local to the global), occurring within nations, organisations and multilateral programs. The Anthropocene imposes new challenges for governments, demanding capabilities for dealing with complexity and uncertainty. Given the scale, significance and magnitude of the policy challenges arising in the Anthropocene it seems necessary to take radical governance changes towards transformative governance regimes. Innovations that break the current structures and relationships of our governance systems are needed to build capacity for governing the unfolding surprises and inherent uncertainties of the Anthropocene. This session explores theoretical, methodological and empirical cases enabling innovations in cyber-systems thinking and practice that offer promise for revitalising institutions and practices that deliver effective governance.