Creative Systems Theory is a comprehensive framework for understanding purpose, change, and interrelationship in human systems. Its perspective is applicable to human systems of all scales, from individuals, to organizations, to societies. Creative Systems Theory has particular pertinence to making sense of our time’s defining challenges and understanding what they will require of us. It represents a new kind of conceptual framework, one able to address more directly the living nature of human experience. Put another way, its ideas reflect the new, more mature and dynamic kind of understanding on which our future depends. This brief introduction to Creative Systems Theory is intended for people new to Creative Systems Theory ideas or for those wanting a big-picture overview. It was developed as one in a series of Institute for Creative Development educational resources.