Total quality management (TQM) is an effective concept for improving the cost effectiveness and organisational performance to achieve business competitiveness for all manufacturing industries, large scale to small scale. In the present scenario of competitive business environment, TQM implementation is an essential culture and key survival tool for manufacturing SMEs. TQM has been adopted by most of the large-scale Indian manufacturing industries, but very few Indian manufacturing SMEs adopted TQM, though most of them have ISO 9001 certification. However, SMEs are the backbone of Indian. This study based on exploratory research, tries to identify the 'causes of the reluctance of Indian manufacturing SMEs in implementing TQM', by analysing the data collected from a number of Indian manufacturing SMEs, through an extensive interview-based survey. The authors also rank those cause-factors in order of their importance and criticality. This study will definitely contribute to the manufacturing SMEs, in India and other developing countries. © Copyright 2019 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.